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Fight or Flight: Saving the Kea
Kea are one of our most iconic birds – but they’re in trouble. Numbers have plummeted and they are now considered endangered. Mike White travels to Fiordland to find out what’s causing their decline, and see if anything can be done to stop it.
Phillip was a star. Phillip was king of Monkey Creek, where tourists stopped on their way to Milford Sound. Phillip worked the crowd, peered into campervans, and leaped from vehicle to vehicle with photographers trailing him. He ripped out rubber seals with a beak like an ice axe, attacked aerials, and pecked at bags: Phillip was king, but also a common thug.
He danced around the carpark hoping for treats, accosting tourists and tugging on shoelaces. He was neither anxious nor angry, but constantly busy.